The International Live Events Association (ILEA) along with VisitScotland Business Events has launched ‘Event Horizons’ a specially created report highlighting the findings of the recent ILEA Global Event Summit 2016 which was hosted in Scotland.

The ‘purple paper’ outlines the key elements of the summit which took place in April 2016, bringing together a selection of leaders from the international events industry for two days of discussions surrounding the challenges and opportunities faced by the sector today.
Findings in the report highlight that unanimously, it was felt that live events remain the most effective medium of communicating to people’s emotions, creating brand positivity and core message affinity – this outlines the real value of events.
Some of the threats to the sector highlighted included; networked digital communication devices, unskilled practitioners, the fear of terrorism and poor economic conditions also. However it was widely ascertained that by promoting the value and benefits of live events, these could all be overcome.
Jodi Collen CSEP, President of the International Live Events Association explained; “Our delegates came together with open minds, ready to engage in discussions and activities, aiming to identify the challenges and opportunities faced by today’s industry. They left with their minds exhausted, yet filled with ideas and inspiration.”
She added; “Our inaugural GES was the beginning of the conversation, where we defined what we need to do as an industry to ensure a prosperous future. We plan to meet again soon, to delve into the specifics of how, as individuals and collectively, we can truly realize our value and achieve our global potential.”
The summit was a collaboration between ILEA, VisitScotland and IMEX Group, with support from technology provider Cvent and Events are GREAT Britain. It was hosted across multiple venues in Scotland, including Gleneagles and the EICC in Edinburgh and preceded by a visit to IMEX Frankfurt.
Neil Brownlee, Head of Business Events Visit Scotland added; “It was great to be involved with such a unique event, and to have the chance to show this influential group why Scotland is the perfect stage for live events. The purple paper will act as a crucial outlet to help us meet our shared ambition of keeping the summit’s conversation going within the wider industry, helping to promote the true values and address the challenges currently surrounding live events.”
EVENT HORIZONS: A Purple Paper from the ILEA Global Event Summit 2016: Scotland can be downloaded in full here www.ileahub.com/ilea/communicate/inspiration-central-ideas-you-can-use.